"Hello, Aelin," she hated the way her name sounded on his lips, "I'm surprised to see you're still conscious, I must not have worked hard enough on you yesterday, what a pity." She also hated that voice, the voice that haunts her, in and out of consciousness. Crooning and cold.
"Well, lucky for us, we happen to be doing a marathon, of sorts. Oh Aelin, I can tell that you don't understand. Remember what today is?" Oh, she remembered well. Today was the day her parents were assassinated, throats sliced messily from ear to ear, and her, waking up soaked in her parents blood.
Aelin swallowed, but stayed silent as the brown-haired fae Male continued his tormenting speech. "Today, dear Aelin, you will be re-experiencing all the torture you have gone through. Every. Single. Thing." A million thoughts raced through her head at once, I'm going to be brutally whipped again, the hammer, the bone-breaking, the slicing, the burning. "Fenrys, what shall we do to her first? I'm quite tempted by the bed of nails..." Aelin rattled her chains, but could do nothing as the 'marathon' began
~
It was today. Today, over a decade ago, when Aedion's life changed completely. The day where, Rhoe and Evalin were murdered. When Aelin was presumed dead, but had been found by Arobynn Hamel, King of the Assassins. Aedion wondered what horrors Aelin would have to endure today as he gazed up at the breathtaking horizon.
~
A whimper broke from her throat and echoed on the nearby rocks. Rowan was watching Aelin and Cairn. He was stuck in the room, repulsed by what he saw before him. Rowan was unable to move, close or avert his eyes. He was seeing exactly what was happening, he didn't care how but he knew that he needed to find her, now more than ever. Aelin was chained to a large table, trying not to tremble as Cairn picked out an array of sharp knives.
Rowan had no voice here, but could only try speaking to Aelin through the mating bond. (Rowan's text in bold) 'Stay strong FireHeart, I will rescue you from these monsters.' Rowan could've sworn he saw Aelin's eyes widen, just a fraction. He could read the question on her face, 'Rowan? Is that you? Please tell me that I didn't imagine that.' 'It's me, FireHeart, everything will be okay, I will find you, can you tell me where you are?'
She swore at Cairn as he tore through the muscle with the sharp tip of the long, curved fighting knife, while he simply grinned. 'I don't know where I am for sure, to be completely honest, but I think I'm in-' Aelin screamed as Cairn hit the bone. Fenrys growled from where he lay in the corner of the room, helpless. Rowan wanted to throttle Cairn, make sure he NEVER set foot anywhere near his mate. Mate. The word echoed through his mind, his bones.
Maeve had said it herself, Lyria was not his mate. That was a lie. It had been Aelin all along, and he blamed himself for it, it was his fault that she was here, his. He should have known about the bond between them, but he was an arrogant fae bastard, too blind to have sensed it. "Wow Aelin, you lasted longer than the last time we did this. Do you remember that time Aelin? When you were practically begging to get knocked unconscious?" Cairn chuckled. Chuckled. Aelin spat at him, making Rowan proud"I don't beg. I will never beg!" He snarled, and twisted the knife as Aelin yelped in pain.
"You will die, either by my hand or my Queen's. You will perish from this universe, without your mate, without anyone knowing if you have passed or not, because" he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "nobody is coming for you, because, as my Queen's eyes told us an interesting tidbit of information this morning," Cairn drawled. "An account that you were currently in Terrasen, readying the little army you gathered for war. You and Prince Rowan, along with those two disgraced warriors as well as your usual group.
Terrasen is quite far off from here. They aren't looking for you" she felt his breath against the shell of her ear, and she noticed his mistake. His weakness was her advantage. Yes, she was chained to the table, but her head wasn't. She headbutted him the face, relishing the satisfying crunch of his nose being broken, but something she didn't think of was the knife.
He yanked it out viciously and plunged it into her shoulder, ripping it out again and shoving it in her ankle. Aelin screamed in agony, and blood seeped from her wounds. Cairn was yelling, something like 'you fucking bitch go die you piece of shit' and carrying on stabbing with his knives, but Aelin wasn't paying any attention to him. He slammed her head onto the altar and it bounced, her vision was swimming. Oblivion came and rescued her.
~
Aelin woke in the dungeon cell, sensing some sort of power. Footsteps dragged towards her, Cairn. "Stay still!" He commanded. Aelin was in too much pain to move anyway. "Guards! Bring her with me to the Queen." And so they moved. Aelin was shoved to the floor, Cairn telling her to kneel. "Your majesty, a portal has opened in the dungeon, and a very powerful one at that!" Cairn exclaimed.
Maeve glared at Aelin, "Did you have anything to do with this? Did you so foolishly think that it was someone who was coming to rescue you?" Maeve drawled. "Cairn!" Her tone was commanding, "assign six guards to the dungeon cell, if anyone, or anything emerges from it, kill it on sight." Aelin instantly felt immense sorrow for anyone who passes through, and she hoped it wasn't anyone from her court.
Days that felt like weeks passed, but they all smudged together, and so did the dreams, an endless horde that hunted her in the blackness. A burning stag, fleeing through the trees. Hours on this altar, her body shattered by ancient tools. A silver-haired prince whose very scent was of home. They blurred and bled, until, even this moment, staring at the white wolf lying against the wall, might be a fragment of the illusions. "Hello Aelin, awake so soon?" That voice. She hated that voice, above all others. Crooning and cold. And so, as more days passed, Queen Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius was tortured, and glued back together.
~
Rowan woke with a jolt, her name on his lips as he sat up straight. "You good, Whitethorn?" Lorcan asked, his gaze questioning, but Rowan just nodded and said nothing. Aedion sat up from where he was laying down, and his nostrils flared, "Do you smell the power too?" Lorcan and Rowan sniffed the air, and sure enough, a scent of freshly cut grass and spring flowers entwined with immense power coated the air.
"Rowan? Gavriel? Lorcan? Anybody? Help me! PLEASE!" Rowan, Lorcan and Gavriel sprang up in unison as Aelin's voice echoed on the boulders nearby. The voice was coming through a portal on a tree a few meters away "Is anyone out there? I need your help!" A chuckle cut through the air. Cairn. Rowan sprang into the portal. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit." Lorcan swore before lunging in behind him, but not without instructing Gavriel to stay here and look after Elide.
